The Irish standard., 1887-03-26
SuiI- Dhuv,
THE COIN-EZ2.
BY GERALD CIR IF FIN,
Author of The Collegians,' etc.
Author of "The Collegians," etc.
CHAPTER XI.-{Continued. J

spangles, and glancing from beneath
the richly quilted green silk petticoat
Ito use an adaptation of Sir John Suck
ling's celebrated simile), like little gold
inches, fluttering among the summer
foliage Of q sycamore; all ankle. the
glossy whiteness Of which was qualified,
not concealed, by the thin, faint flesh
colored checked silk stocking. and
which formed the most perfectly fin
ished termination in the world to the
classically large and easily fashioned
person; these constituted the claims Of
Lilly Byrne to the title which was
given her of the village beauty and if,
after all 1hepa we have been at in de-
failing them, the reader should refuse to
have those claims allowed, we can only
say that we wish him better taste.
But the portrait which We have just
presented Was that which painter
might have taken with advantage, When
Lilly Byrne was younger and happier
than she was on this day; when the
hope of authorized affection lived in her
heart, and breatl,ed in every movement
of her frame; when she loitered and lis
tened with cheek alternately flushing
and whitening with the gentle tumultu-
BUSINESS Of expectation for the approach
of her accepted lover, mistakiDg the
cracking Of the iron yard-gate for his
pattering summons upOn the braZen
rapper Of the hall-toor, nibbling her
pretty lip in anger at the disappoint-
nent, glancing towards the window,
anu along the elevated lawn by which
he was to approach, tidgetting and
quarreling with her work, talking Of
everything but the subject, and blush
ing even to her fingers ends, when she
found herself detected i'll the midst of
her mannuyres by the experienced eye
Of her mother, OF the Sudden, loud
laugh Of her father, as their glances
met-When the day WAS consumed be-
tween the lovers in those urmeaning
words and actions, which. between
lovers, have SO deep smeaning-in jests
which were laughed at, and not worth
being laughed az, and those tsutalizing
annoyances, by which even The most
sincere and the fondest among the gen
tie tyrants OF the hours Of collrtship de-
light in nanifesting their power over
Che great awkward fool who is lying at
their feet "a power. indeed, which con
sidering hoy very short liyed it is in
general, it would te act OF naughty
supererogation to take from them, when
light heart and merry word WAS the Or
der Of the day, when Lilly Byrne
could do nothing fer Robert
Kumba, who Was hiding her
balls OF cotton and her bobbin, and
pulling the thread out Of her needle,
and Robert protested it was Lilly her
self that was so idle, and mama re-
no1lstrated, and wished that Mr. Robert |
Kumba would mind his own business,
so she did, and let her daughter mind
hers, and Robert Said Lilly was d spite
full little tell-Jale, and the old gentle |
man said they were all a parcel of fools
together, and--but it we say more, we
shall come in for share of the CEN
sure.
Few love-matches commencing under
such circumstances, 50 blameless and
SO seemingly prosperous, were ever SO
suddenly deranged aud overloaded as
this was.
The affair proceeded far beyond that
limit within which the prospects, at
least, if not the feelings of girl may be
said to remain secure. Those little
privileges of address, which are not
even allowed to the accepted lover, I'M
til all is beloved to be as certain of ac-
complishment as if the ceremony had \
already passed, and which perhaps it
were we'll for the peace and happiness
Of many a forsaken heart to have alto
gether prohibited, until the very posi-
bility of disappointment had been re-
had been long accorded to
Robert Kumba. The envied and what
was more) enviable position by her side
ON all occasions-the solitary evening
walk--the tete-a-tete in crowds--the
certainty that he impaired pleasure
while he whispered welcome nonsense
in
1.-THE soft labyrinth of ladys ear
and a thousand other harmless init
macies which the memory Of those who
have been, the consciousness Of those
who are, and the imagination of those
who wish to be, lovers, will save us the
pains Of recounting-were, for a long
time, freely granted him; and the con-
sequence was, that he had at length be-
come completely wound up and en-
tangled with all the joys, the sorrows,
the hopes. and the fears of the young
and ardent girl, that it should be as
reasonable to look for the survival of
her happiness after he, it's heart. had
been snatched from her, as to suppose
that her material fra me should continue
Unin]ured in any of it's functions after
the great organ of life had been torn
HOY, 1,0cnv, Gha 1;o1 This